9/18 Let Senators Welch & Sanders Know Vermonters want the LOCAL Foods Act Included in the Farm Bill!
The Livestock Owned by Communities to Advance Local (LOCAL) Foods Act (S.1212) is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that protects and expands access to on-farm livestock processing.
The bill updates the personal-use exemption in the Federal Meat Inspection Act to align with modern USDA standards and clarify that clarify that it’s legal for non-farmers to buy a share of live animals and then hire someone as their agent to do the processing on-farm. It will protect the rights of livestock owners, producers, and itinerant slaughterers, helping smaller-scale local meat economies thrive. The LOCAL Foods Act will preserve accessibility and affordability of locally produced meat and build stronger, locally-controlled food systems for generations to come.
The bill didn't appear in the recent Senate Farm Bill, which was officially passed out of committee in September. Now the Farm Bill heads to the Senate floor, where we have an opportunity to include the LOCAL Foods Act as an amendment. Tell Senator Welch & Senator Sanders: we support on-farm processing in the Farm Bill. Include the LOCAL Foods Act (S.1212) and vote "yes" on a LOCAL Foods Act amendment!